COMMUNITY FORUM

Moaning Pipes

I am new here, so please excuse me if this question has already been answered somewhere. Not always, but often enough to be quite annoying, after using the water, (hot or cold, doesnt seem to matter)it makes a loud moaning/humming sound in the walls. If I turn the water off and on afterward, it seems to help, that or after it moans for a few minutes, it goes away on its own.

I live in a basement suite, and I have noticed that the toilet upstairs seems to run alot of the time,especially throughout the night. Could this be allowing air into the pipes that sumhow gets disturbed when using the water after an extended period of non-use? (in the morning for example)

One of the first things that comes to mind is the fill valve (float valve) inside the toilet tank. Typically, when the valve diaphram (fla rubber gasket) inside the float valve cap goes bad, then the valve starts moaning when it trys to shut off. This is caused by micro vibrations produced as the gasket tries to close against the incoming water pressure. The water is trying to push the gasket away from the opening, and the float as it rises is trying to close the opening. Since the gasket is worn out, it becomes hard like a super ball. Instead of forming softly around the opening, it bounces against the opening. It bounces so fast, it is like the vibrations of a tuba or trumpet player. Because most homes have metal pipes, it sets up a harmonic wave through the pipes that echos through the house. You can test this by simply lifting up slightly on the float rod, when you hear the sound. If it shuts off, you've solved your problem. Then you can replace the whole valve for around ten dollars (easier than trying to replace the gasket on the inside of the fill valve, unless your a plumber).